COVID-19 Mental Impact.pdf

COVID-19 has significantly impacted mental health, with rates of depression and anxiety tripling compared to 2019, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The pandemic has caused unemployment, economic instability, social and physical isolation, food insecurity, and increased psychological distress, leading to "deaths of despair" and increases in violence, suicide, and domestic violence. 40% of US adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use, with 31% experiencing anxiety/depression symptoms, 26% experiencing trauma/stressor-related disorder symptoms, and 11% considering suicide. Certain groups, such as young adults, low-income individuals, and persons of color, have been disproportionately affected. Contributing factors include loneliness, job loss, worry, and stress, with 58% of lower-income individuals reporting a negative impact on their mental health. Mental health disorders are trending, with a 21% increase in antidepressant, anti-anxiety, and anti-insomnia prescriptions, and children and adolescents are vulnerable due to developmental age, educational status, and social and economic inequality. ER visits related to mental health concerns have increased by 24% for ages 5-11 and 31% for ages 12-17, and there has been a surge in student suicides, with 18 suicides over 9 months of school closure in Las Vegas.